Had enough massacres yet?

People at the Pearly Gates, noting NRA doesn’t allow for gun violence research. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Jmaaks.

First of all, perhaps we should stop harping on “gun control.” The hard-core right-wing NRA devotees will never stop fighting all kinds of control. That’s a dirty word to millions. It’s in their bible: “Don’t you dare try to control me you weak-kneed, government-pandering, lily-livered mother-lovers.”

It just doesn’t matter to them how many children are accidentally shot by their parents or each other  or wives by their husbands, or even …. men and women by their dogs.

Accidents happen, they pontificate.

What is important to these don’t-try-to-control-me-my-gun-is-my-life devotees is their freedom—their freedom to bully, to threaten, and to “defend” themselves against all the threats, known and unknown, that seem to lurk everywhere. You know, the freedom they are sacrificing every time they let some smooth-talking, race-baiting, fear-promoting tyrant tell them whom to fear and whom to hate, and what to do to feel better.

If we want to get real freedom from fear and danger, maybe we can start with an alternative term for “gun control.”

“Gun reform” probably appeals to a lot of progressives, but “reform” is sure to sound leftish to the hard-lined be-ready-to-kill-anybody-if-they-look-at-you-wrong advocates.   Not to mention its association with schools for delinquents.

Maybe we should talk about “gun sanity.” Maybe a gun sanity movement can remind people that nobody is perfect, that even gun-lovers who advocate gun-safety can end up accidentally shooting themselves.

Better yet, how about “gun sense”? or “gunsense”? Sounds like a no-nonsense expression, linked to commonsense, which should appeal to everyone.

And, actually, there is a grassroots gun sense movement emerging within several states, including Texas , Georgia , and Vermont , a movement that may succeed in promoting sanity at local levels while the U.S. government waffles under the control of the NRA.

Plus there are a whole lot of moms around the country demanding action against gun violence and who can argue against the power of moms?

For those who believe the nay-sayers claiming that you can’t legislate morality or even do anything to reduce violence, check out this study And this one

and think about what you can do to promote sanity, commonsense, and gunsense.

 

How do we end violence against children? Let me count the ways.

Violence confronts children at every level of society–in their relationships with parents and siblings, in the home, at school, and in the media and values that dominate their nation.

  • Hitting, punching, kicking are forms of violence.
  • Humiliation is a form of violence.
  • Poverty, discrimination, and the denial of opportunities are forms of violence.

How do we end these?

Laws do not solve all problems, but laws against corporal punishment—as have been enacted in many Western European and other nations—send a message and set a standard for parenting behavior.

Education does not solve all problems, but citizen education concerning alternatives to corporal punishment and psychological maltreatment can contribute to the development of healthier environments in which children can learn and play without constant fear of  harm from others.

Efforts at social reform are not always successful. Yet recognition and commitment to social justice, equal opportunity, and equal protection will increase the likelihood that children can be provided with enough food to eat, safety to survive, and opportunity to become positive contributors to society.

You can help in each of these areas. How?

  • Find positive ways to deal with your own inevitable anger and frustration when you feel disappointed with the people you love and/or for whom you feel responsible.
  • Be aware of and responsive to what is going on in local schools in your community. Is bullying widespread? Is anything being done about it? Do children have safe places to play?
  • Listen to leaders at the neighborhood, state, and national level. What agendas do they promote—equal opportunity and social justice? Or the rights of the rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else? Listen, learn, and decide what will contribute most to healthy environments for all children. Then take action.

To learn more, please watch “A mission to end child abuse.”

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Dehumanized children in America: Brutalized, bullied, and bought

All of the major religious texts in the world today stress the inherent value of children, but to many people throughout the world—including the United States—children are disposable. They are beaten, raped, and murdered by family members, bullied to death by peers, and enslaved.

Brutality in families:

In the United States, according to government documents:

  • In 2009, 1,770 children died as a result of child maltreatment
  • In over 75% of these cases, a parent was the perpetrator
  • In 2010, 63,527 children were sexually abused

Bullying:

Probably every reader of this post either was bullied as a child or knows someone who was bullied. If so, it is likely you remember the incident(s) well.

Bullying is another symptom of a culture of violence, a culture in which brutalizing children has too long been ignored. To learn more about bullying in the U.S. today, view this graphic. Better yet, print it, send it around, and use it as a basis for discussion.

To humanize the problem more fully,  see the reports on three recent cases in which children aged 10, 13, and 14 were bullied to death.

Slavery:

More people are slaves in the world today than at any previous time in history—and many of these slaves are children. Watch this video for more information.

What do you think are the effects on children of growing up in a culture of violence in which they can be exploited and brutalized? We will consider some of these effects in our next post.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

USA: A culture of violence


[Note from Kathie Malley-Morrison: Today’s post begins a series on the culture of violence in the United States.]

By guest author Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D.

As the immediate emotions of the presidential elections pass — the euphoria and elation of the winners, the grief, despair, anger of the losers — the harsh realities of daily life once again emerge. Among these is the widespread violence that exists in the United States—many examples of which are displayed in the graphic.

Diagram of culture of violence

 

As demonstrated, the manifestations and consequences of violent acts are extensive. In the U.S. (and elsewhere), a “culture of violence” is generated, sustained, and promoted by acts that arise from both individual and collective impulse and intent. These acts all too often find tolerance and approval across political, economic, educational, military, and moral policies of institutions.

The diagram is neither comprehensive nor explanatory, aside from recognizing the reciprocity of the different acts and sources of violence. Each act of violence is both a source and consequence of other acts of violence—the inverse of an ethic of reciprocity.

What do you think of this model of a culture of violence? Can you see the ways in which animal cruelty, bullying, gangs, and the American media may be related to poverty, racism, inequality, and our high rate of incarceration in this country? And vice versa?

We will be writing more about these issues over the next few weeks and welcome your comments—including your suggestions for additions to or subtractions from this model of a culture of violence.

Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Past President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR)